Mecca

The real estate industry, in particular malls, is undergoing a paradigm shift. From general purpose entertainment and commercial zones they are being built as self-sufficient business enterprises having individual entities. Pressure to recoup costs, growth and demand in secondary and tertiary industries, and the increasingly aspiring lifestyle of the middle-class is forcing realtors to minutely segment a mall's target audience and then go for the kill by providing both low-value as well as high value...

JEDDAH: Over 136,000 Indians will perform Haj in 2015 with the quota for the country remaining unchanged since last year due to the ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The agreement in this regard was signed as the Indian Haj delegation led by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. (Retd) V K Singh held a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Haj minister Bandar Al Hajjar yesterday here in Jeddah to chalk out a plan for this year's pilgrimage. "India's Haj...

MECCA: Pilgrims heading home from Mecca not only carry mental souvenirs of an unforgettable spiritual journey, they also take gifts for loved ones not fortunate enough to travel with them to Saudi Arabia. Presents bought after the annual hajj range from bottles of water from a famed holy spring to crystal models of the Kaaba, the huge silk-covered cube in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque in Islam's holy city of Mecca. Muslims worldwide pray facing towards...

NEW DELHI: Five Haj pilgrims from India, including three women, were killed and 19 others injured when their bus met with an accident near Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The bus, carrying 48 Hajis from Kerala, met with the mishap at Al Rabieh, about 15 kms from Mecca, Indian officials told reporters. The Hajis were on their way from Medina to Mecca, they said. The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in...

SAUDI ARABIA: Over 2 million pilgrims, including about 1.5 lakh Indians, thronged Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain today for the high point of Haj as Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti voiced Islam's unequivocal position against extremism and terrorism. After reaching Mina, where they spent the night in prayer and supplication, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims clad in a white seamless cloth headed towards Arafat following Fajr prayers this morning. On reaching...

JEDDAH: A free smartphone application launched this year by the Indian mission here that guides Indian Haj pilgrims to their accommodations has become a huge hit with even the Saudi government looking at ways to adopt the novel app. "The Indian HajiAccommodation Locater App has been a huge success and in fact the Saudi Ministry of Haj have said that they want to follow through how they can use it for other countries for other pilgrims," Indian...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A huge fortune seems to be awaiting a Muslim family of Malabar region of Kerala as efforts gained momentum to realise a long-delayed compensation for demolition of a resting place for Haj pilgrims built by it 136 years ago at Mecca. The chances of realising the compensation, lying in the treasury in Saudi Arabia for decades, has brightened with the state government appointing an IAS officer for negotiations on behalf of the renowned "Keyi"...

JEDDAH: Over 136,000 Indians will perform Haj in 2015 with the quota for the country remaining unchanged since last year due to the ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The agreement in this regard was signed as the Indian Haj delegation led by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. (Retd) V K Singh held a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Haj minister Bandar Al Hajjar yesterday here in Jeddah to chalk out a plan for this year's pilgrimage. "India's Haj...

DUBAI: Performing Haj is set to get costlier for Indian pilgrims this year owing to the slump witnessed by the rupee and an increase in the costs of Haj establishments in Mecca , according to a media report. Many Haj Indian applicants whose names figured in a list announced by the Central Haj Committee (CHC) opted out after the increase in costs, the Arab News reported. In Andhra Pradesh, the report said, over 400 applicants withdrew from the pilgrimage due to the...

Seagram India, the Indian arm of Pernod Ricard, on Thursday launched its first line of Indian wines, christened Nine Hills, in the price range of Rs 450 to Rs 550 per bottle. The company expects to sell about 10,000 cases in the first year itself. The name Nine Hills has been derived after the hills that dot Nashik, the mecca of Indian wine industry. The Indian market consumes about 100,000 cases of wine annually.

NEW DELHI: With an eye largely on Haj pilgrims traveling to Mecca, Bharti Group on Wednesday launched HomeTouch Saudi Arabia card, which can be purchased in India and used for making calls back home from Saudi Arabia at costs which are 40 per cent lower than normal ISD rates. "In addition, these cards also bring in the benefits of easy availability and convenience, as these are available at international airports, leading travel houses and travel agents," a Bharti release said.

It's about 10.30 in the morning and the St John's Wood tube station is closed in the direction away from Lord's. Stewards outside are repeatedly making announcements regretting the inconvenience caused to prospective passengers. The reason: too many people have been pouring into St John's Wood from all parts of London to make it to Lord's in time for the toss thereby overcrowding the station. This won't happen in most Test centres in the world. Or in any Test venue for that matter.

By Harish Nambiar In 2005, my friend Sunil Tambe invited me to Nagaland to join his audacious attempt at documenting the extraordinary story about a Naga rebel, which had embedded itself in his memory. I was going through clinical depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. It was a friendly and charitable invitation I could not refuse. During the project, among the many people we met was the irrepressible Kaka Iralu, a Naga nationalist in Kohima. ...

JEDDAH: Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed today met Saudi Minister of Hajj Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar and discussed matters relating to Indian pilgrims in this year's Hajj season. Ahmad, who is in charge of Hajj Affairs, is in Saudi Arabia to review the arrangements for the forthcoming pilgrimage. Accompanied by a delegation, Ahamed discussed at length issues related to Hajj pilgrimage with the Saudi Minister. In June, Saudi Arabia slashed...

DUBAI: Performing Haj is set to get costlier for Indian pilgrims this year owing to the slump witnessed by the rupee and an increase in the costs of Haj establishments in Mecca , according to a media report. Many Haj Indian applicants whose names figured in a list announced by the Central Haj Committee (CHC) opted out after the increase in costs, the Arab News reported. In Andhra Pradesh, the report said, over 400 applicants withdrew from the pilgrimage due to the...

NEW DELHI: Tata Steel today said it has bagged an order to manufacture 60,000 tonnes of high-quality rails for a new high-speed line linking two holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The company, however, did not disclose the value of the order. The new railway will allow millions of pilgrims to cross the 276 miles between the two cities at speeds of 200 miles per hour. The line will cross desert, withstanding temperatures ranging from freezing to 50...

JEDDAH: A free smartphone application launched this year by the Indian mission here that guides Indian Haj pilgrims to their accommodations has become a huge hit with even the Saudi government looking at ways to adopt the novel app. "The Indian HajiAccommodation Locater App has been a huge success and in fact the Saudi Ministry of Haj have said that they want to follow through how they can use it for other countries for other pilgrims," Indian...

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has slashed the number of Hajj pilgrims , including from India, by 20 per cent this year, citing massive ongoing construction work aimed at expanding grand Mecca mosque as a reason behind the decision. "The decision to reduce the numbers of pilgrims at home by 50 per cent and abroad by 20 per cent is exceptional and temporary until the completion of the expansionist projects at the Holy Sites," Saudi Minister of Hajj Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar ...

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has slashed the number of Hajj pilgrims , including from India, by 20 per cent this year, citing massive ongoing construction work aimed at expanding grand Mecca mosque as a reason behind the decision. "The decision to reduce the numbers of pilgrims at home by 50 per cent and abroad by 20 per cent is exceptional and temporary until the completion of the expansionist projects at the Holy Sites," Saudi Minister of Hajj Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar was...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A huge fortune seems to be awaiting a Muslim family of Malabar region of Kerala as efforts gained momentum to realise a long-delayed compensation for demolition of a resting place for Haj pilgrims built by it 136 years ago at Mecca. The chances of realising the compensation, lying in the treasury in Saudi Arabia for decades, has brightened with the state government appointing an IAS officer for negotiations on behalf of the renowned...